1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Sertraline

Been on 100mg of Sertraline for about a week, The other doses havent seemed to help that much.

Posted , 6 users are following.

elevatorboy
elevatorboy

Has Anyone else experience similar things? 

My side effects is poor appetite, and in the morning i find it hard to get out of bed due to being afraid of the anxiety and some obsessive thoughts, also have social anxiety.

I wanted to know if anyone else found that all the lower doses of Zoloft didn't do much at all but then all of a sudden the right dose made wonders. 

i still experience a lot of anxiety and have to take 0.5 clonanzapam three time  a day just to feel somewhat normal.

Again i am on day 8 of 100mg.

I need some peace of mind.

Thanks

elevator boy 

0 likes, 17 replies

17 Replies

  • UK-Rose
    UK-Rose elevatorboy

    Posted

    What were your previous doses and over how long a time frame before you increased?? 
    • elevatorboy
      elevatorboy UK-Rose

      Posted

      They were 25, then 50 then 75. about one and a week and 3 or 4 day intervals..thinking thats too fast...been on 100mg for 8 days now. 
  • craig64791
    craig64791 elevatorboy

    Posted

    I have taken 50mg for a month and upped to 75mg. I take melatonin to help sleep. Appetite is zero which concerns me. Initially the sertaline helped - shutting down the anxiety and over thinking. Now I just want to watch tv, sleep and stay away from other people; feeling distance and daydreamy. Sleep is a lot better but dreams are disturbing. The initial feeling is this is working but now I’m taking more to feel better. 
  • elevatorboy
    elevatorboy

    Posted

    so in other words maybe i should really give the 100mg time to work.

    You said you were on 50 for a month then 75 for a month?  When did you start to feel something good?

    Would it be fair to say that i have not givin my body enough time at each dose for it to  settle and feel any of the benefits?

    • craig64791
      craig64791 elevatorboy

      Posted

      I think it’s about getting used to it. It sounds like a lot of people up their dose after they get used to the side effects. 
  • elevatorboy
    elevatorboy

    Posted

    Im just worried cause i haven't felt any kind of relief from the other doses...is that normal to happen?

  • seth05325
    seth05325 elevatorboy

    Posted

    You sound exactly like me. I was so bad that I was afraid of being afraid. Sleep was hellish, either too much or too little. I als had a weird appetite. We must believe the people who have gone before us though, and trust that things will get better. Good luck and know that you are not alone. I understand your struggle. Keep us posted on how you are doing smile
    • elevatorboy
      elevatorboy seth05325

      Posted

      Thanks Seth.  Means a lot..a whole lot.  So are you telling me you are going through the same experience as me with what i asked in the title of this chat? Meaning the doses did nothing..and is that where you are at now?  Let me know your situation more if you dont mind.

      Thanks for your support and i hope you will be doing better..glad i am on here.

    • seth05325
      seth05325 elevatorboy

      Posted

      Yes I am on my third dosage change. They work briefly, and then they stop working and I have to go to my next dose. The doc gave me ativan to take as needed to help
  • craig64791
    craig64791 elevatorboy

    Posted

    I have found I have been reading more. Books that promote positive thinking and I’ve avoided gloom and doom tv & film etc. This has given me a sense of achievement. I’ve also started to explore mindfulness. I don’t think medication alone is the answer and have taken the attitude that is may not be may fault, but it is my responsibility to self care. 

  • sarah40069
    sarah40069 elevatorboy

    Posted

    Hi there, I started on 50mg for a week then upped to 100mg. The side effects were pretty bad for a week or 2, no appetite, insomnia, feeling extra anxious. After 3 weeks I started to feel a bit better then had another major anxious episode, on and off for around 10 days or so. I'm now about 6 weeks into the 100mg and for the last week I've been feeling better. The anxiety tries to come back from time to time, especially in the morning, but I am finding it easier to distract myself. People kept reassuring me that it can take 6-8 weeks to feel an affect, so depending when you started, it might take longer even for the smaller doses to have an affect. Hope that helps. 

  • UK-Rose
    UK-Rose elevatorboy

    Posted

    Sorry for the delay, 

    For me I personally found it was beneficial to give every increase the right amount of time (4-8wks) before jumping onto the next... least that way I could be 100% sure what dose worked and what dose didn’t. 

    Ive read that when you first start a new increase you have to start back with a fresh time count also... (this is why most people will experience side effects all over again... till the new dose settles) time consuming I know?

    I started low...

    25mg - 1week

    37.5mg - 1week

    50mg - 4weeks continuing 

    My doctor initially wanted me to increase to 100mg pretty early on but I decided I wanted to wait it out and see what 50mg had to offer first. Im glad I did... after 4weeks Im seeing benefits, no anxiety, certainly not bothered about social anxiety, more interactive, depression lifting... I feel about 80% my old self.

    Im still early days (6wks total) and may have to increase in the future, but again I will try 75mg before jumping straight to 100mg... I want to give all lower doses a full chance. But If I continue to feel the way I do now, I will be more than happy to remain at 50mg. 

    Hope this helps 🌹

    • dawn0904
      dawn0904 UK-Rose

      Posted

      I agree with UK-Rose on this. I started on July 10th and I started low. My initial startup was a half of 25mg, so I did 12.5 mg for a week, then I bumped it to a full pill for probably two weeks and then bumped it again to 37.5mg and did that for a few weeks, then 50, then I bumped it to 62.5mg and that’s where I’ve stayed. I will say that staying at one dose longer gives you time to find the right dose. The doctors are so quick to up your dose to 100 and it doesn’t give your body time to adjust. My doctor is great. She knows I’ve never been on anything and she encouraged me to go slow and I’m so glad I did. She actually wanted me to not go above 50 but I bumped it myself and it’s been great since I hit the “aha” moment the end of September. I will also say that every time u increase u will have side effects but not as bad but if u continue to up ur dose u will never feel relief. A lot of ppl on here say 6-8 weeks but mine took almost 12 weeks to full effects but I did feel better throughout. Just lingering anxiety is what I dealt with for the most part. And the insomnia. That was the worst. It’s nice now not having to take anything to get sleep. I would say stay at the dose you’re on now for at least 3-4 weeks before you go up. I don’t know how anyone can take 100mg of this stuff but some people need that much. 
    • dawn0904
      dawn0904

      Posted

      Also I will say when I come off of this medicine I will taper off the same way I went on it. Slow and small doses every couple weeks. 
    • elevatorboy
      elevatorboy dawn0904

      Posted

      So i have been on 100mg for about 3weeks now....feeling abit better, but yea, i will be watching tv with a friend then (it seems like) all of a sudden i get anxious.  Could this be the "lingering anxiety" you are talking about?  I didnt know if you could provide an example with that point.   I tend to get a bit sweaty and feel the anxiety in my hands and feel my body's temp going up.  

      I am taking this drug for GAD.  I tend to do well with examples. I was having a hell of a time even when i was on the lower doses and i keep reading from various sources that people say things like "I could feel a slight improvement when i was on 25 or 50 mg three week in".  I am just worried cause i didn't feel any relief during that time, but i also know my doc was bumping up the does every two weeks or a week sometimes.  Now i am on 100mg, till i see him in 2 weeks.  By then i will be on the 100mg for about a month.   You say you "feel better throughout".  What do you mean Dawn?  Like all the lingering anxiety slowly settled (which you think was a side effect from the drug) started to disappear and in the end it actually made things better?  Sorry for the long responce, and sorry I have not been on here for a while.  I am trying to not read to much more info on different sites cause i find it just makes me more worried about this whole process; and that in its self can cause anxious thoughts.  Thanks so much.

    • elevatorboy
      elevatorboy

      Posted

      Also taking it for obsessive thoughts (intrusive thought), whatever you want to call it.... Thanks. 
    • dawn0904
      dawn0904 elevatorboy

      Posted

      When I started, the first day I felt the feeling of doom and gloom fade almost immediately. That for me was the worst feeling. I felt on edge all the time and sick to my stomach going anywhere before I started the sertraline. So for me, that’s what I meant about feeling better throughout taking the meds. As for the lingering anxiety, for me it was usually when I went somewhere, was around ppl, it wasn’t bad but uncomfortable at times. So when you say you feel it when you’re with friends watching a movie or something, it’s normal to have the lingering anxiety in the beginning until it fully kicks in. I was on the meds a full 12 weeks until I felt that lingering anxiety just disappear. It was a relief for sure. My lingering anxiety feeling was always in my throat. When I would clear my throat I would feel it there. That was my sign that it was still hanging on. Until that day. Then it was gone. I hope you start to feel better as well. I was skeptical as well and thought it wasn’t working but I didn’t want to switch to something else and have worse side effects and chance it not working either so I waited. 
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.